The book brings together a series of Ugo La Pietra’s research on the relationship between the individual and the environment, with a particular focus on urban collective space. The research, initiated in the 1960s, refers to the city as a formalised expression of the contradictions of social life. From degrees of freedom (on urban suburbs) to urban amenities for the community, the research described in the book highlights the difference between domestic and urban living. Through decoding works, meta-projects and the citizens’ referendum. For the best bollard, La Pietra hypothesises the creation of “places of decompression” for the recovery of environmental values in opposition to urban excesses and imbalances.